3000 steeplechase
The 3000-meter steeplechase is run at a specially designed distance. An obstacle (a pit with water) is placed on a special turn, the start of the distance is given from a separate mark, different from the start of a smooth 3000 meters. The distance includes overcoming a total of 35 obstacles (including 7 water pits), 5 on each lap. The height of the barriers is 91.4 cm (36 inches) for men and 76.2 cm (30 inches) for women. The length of the water pit is 3.66 meters (12 feet). The depth of the pit varies from 70 centimeters at the barrier to zero at the edge of the pit. All barriers are fixed, and it is impossible to move or overturn them. The 3000 m run is an average distance in athletics in which an athlete runs 7.5 laps of 400 m in an outdoor stadium. The men’s 3000 m has never been an Olympic distance. It was also not held at the World Championships in athletics. For women, this distance was part of the Olympic program in 1984, 1988 and 1992. At the World Championships, the 3000 meters distance was held in 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1993, then it was canceled.
History
Like many other running disciplines, running and steeplechasing originates in England. By the middle of the 19th century, the first officially recorded results of the 2-mile steeplechase race (3218 meters) were attributed. The 3000-meter steeplechase was first included in the Olympic Games program in 1920. The women’s 3000 metres steeplechase has been included in the World Championship program since 2005. At the Beijing Olympics, women won medals in this discipline for the first time at the Olympic Games.
Interesting facts
Runners in steeplechase use special spikes, which differ from running shoes in other running sports. They are designed to release water that collects after overcoming a pit of water.
Records
Men: Saeed Shahin 7:53.63 Brussels, Belgium 2004
Women: Gulnara Samitova-Galkina 8:58.81 Beijing, China 2008
